Hiccups are a condition that affects everyone. A person can suffer from hiccups for minutes, hours, or even days. At the least, hiccups can be an annoyance and may cause a person to feel embarrassed. But often times, hiccups can have severe debilitating affects on a person's life and the ways in which he or she interacts with others. They can negatively impact a person's productivity and lead to feelings of anxiety and depression. If they persist for months, hiccups can even result in malnutrition and exhaustion. Although the exact etiology of hiccups has not yet been determined, it is generally accepted that hiccups involve involuntary contractions of the diaphragm. Each contraction is followed by a sudden closure of the vocal cords, which products the characteristic “hic” sound. Hiccups can result from the consumption of a large meal, alcoholic beverages, or sudden excitement. In some cases, hiccups may be indicative of an underlying medical condition. Numerous medical remedies exist for the treatment of hiccups, including pharmaceutical intervention and surgery. Additionally, non-invasive treatments have also been successful for treating hiccups. However, there is no universally effective treatment for hiccups, and each method carries with it advantages and disadvantages.
For example, drugs that inhibit proton pumps, such as baclofen, chlorpromazine, metoclopramide, and gabapentin, have been found to eliminate the hiccups. In some cases, treatment simply involves increasing the partial pressure of carbon dioxide and inhibiting diaphragm activity by holding one's breath or rebreathing into a paper bag. In other cases, vagus nerve stimulation can eliminate hiccups. This can be done by irritating the pharynx by swallowing dry bread or crushed ice, by applying traction to the tongue, or by stimulating the gag reflex. In still other cases, the phrenic nerve can be blocked temporarily using an injection of 0.5% procaine, or permanently with a bilateral phrenicotomy. However, none of these treatments is universally effective for the treatment of hiccups.
Generally, it is more advantageous to use a non-invasive treatment for hiccups, as these methods typically carry less risk and can be as equally effective as invasive treatments involving surgical and pharmaceutical intervention. There is therefore a need for a universal effective, non-invasive treatment for hiccups.